Quenched oscillating detector



y 1952 E. M. WILLIAMS 2,605,398

QUENCHED OSCILLATING DETECTOR Filed May 16, 1945 OUTPUT TERMI NALS v INVENTOR. EVERARD M. WILLIAMS Patented July 29, 1952 Q;

s QUENGHED-WSCILLATHWG DETECTOR," Y

Everard M.=-W illiams,.-S tate ;College,:-I-a.

*ApplicaticnMay-M, 194sisernrmzs9u rn r :10 Claims. (c1.-.:250-20) (Granted underfthe act 'c'i'iMarchQ3lil 83, as

"amended- April 30, 1923; 370 G. '757) Theinventiondescribed herein may bemanufactured and used by or for the-Government for governmental purposes, without the payment to me of any royalty thereon.

This invention relates to radio detectors and more particularly to a radio detector comprising a quenched oscillator as apart-thereof.

Radio detectors of the superregenerative type or containing a quenched oscillator as apart thereof "that have been devised and used heretofore are characterized by .thelimitation f a low quench rate or that the-quenched oscillations do not decay sufiicientlyrapidly to clear the tube of oscillations between successive quench cycles. 'In the interestso-f sensitivity .and selectivity it is desirable that the resonant circuit of the detector at signal frequency .have aihigh Q at the start of eachquench cycle during the increase in the plate voltageof the oscillator-tube in the circuit. After the plate voltage ceases to rise, however, it is desirable that oscillations of the tube at signal frequency cease as. rapidly as possible s'ince'the tube oscillations detract rather than contribute to lthefiiciency of detection during this portionof the quench cycle. The high Q of the resonant circuit .is a disadvantage therefore in this phase of the cycle since it'p'rolongs the'time of the undersirable os'cilla tion'o'f the oscillator'tube'in the circuit.

The object of the present invention comprises the provision of an. improved *superregenerative orcuenched oscillator detector, lthatl'is characterized'by'a sharp quenchingaction or rate that 'is'particularly desirable "in the detection of pulsesignals.

'With the above "and other objects in View which will be apparent to those who are informed'in the matter ofradio' signal'detection from the 'following discussion, an illustrative schematic circuit diagram of a quenched oscillator detector that embodies the present inven tion is shown in the accompanying drawing. I

In the circuit there shown, a receiving antenna I is inductively coupled through a transformer '2' to'the grid 5 and plate 6 "of'an oscillation tube 1. A'variableicapacitor' 3 connects the grid5 and the plate 6"oflthe oscillation'tube I. The 'grid'5 of the tube'lis isolated fromthe plate voltage supply of the'tube by ablocking condenser "4 and is connected to the grounded cathode 8' of the tube 1 through a grid'leak'resistor'9i- A'plate'voltagesupply for the plate'B of the tube "-I-is received at the-terminal 13+ and is passed through a -load'resistor ll], the primaryw of ia'" dee -transformer and -is 1 applied from 'a ivamable tap on 'the 'seconda-ry wind mg of the transformer 2 to the plate 6.01 the tube 1. The terminal B+ 1s grounded through a condenser -2I.' The-negative terminal-ofthe plate voltage. supply for -.thetube I. is grounded at B-. The variable -.tap-=is grounded-for radio ffrec uency through a capacitor --2 5.

from the direct current terminal B+. The plate of the tube I2 7 is connected towthe terminal B+ through a primary inductance winding -I8 that is shunted by a condenser :20 and that is in-series with the loadresistor I0. One. secondary winding 22, thatuis inductively coup1edwith the .primary winding I 8, connects thegrid and cathode or the tubeI-Z through agridresistor -23. and by-pass condenserez i in the. grounded -cathode leg thereof A decay diode I 3 hasitscathode I 5 -grcunded through a secondary; winding il 1 that is inductively coupled with Ithewprimary winding or oscillation-coil IB- ofthe quench @signal oscillator I2. 'fI'hehccil -II-is- -shuntedbyaradiofrequency i by-p'asscapacitor -25. The plate of the diode I3 is "connected-- to ...the grid "5 offithe oscillator tube I through aresistor'Ili that is of lower value than the gridlleak resistor 9. The primary 21 of the videomransformer II is shunted by a capacitor I9. I The output terminals' of the secondary winding. 28-0mm -video transformer- I' I provide the output terminals Jfor the quenched oscillator detector.

. :In operation, .radio frequency signal is intercepted. by lthe antenna I andfis Ifed .in'ductively to the parallel. It'uned oscillating -circuit that compri'ses the. inductor ccilll2 that is .tuned by the variable capacitor l'3eandlthat connects the grid '5 andtheplatelfilofthe oscillation tube 1.

The oscillation of the'iquench signaloscillator I2 develops an alternating voltage .o'l quench signal across thelo'ad resistor I0, which is then passed through'the by-pass capacitor]! and is superposed upon the directivolta'geisupply.to the plate 6 of the oscillation"'tube "I.

' During "one' half oi""'the.icyclepfthe' quench signal, radio "frequency'oscil'laitions buildup in the circuit "of the"oscillatiomtubefil "During the other half of the quench='-cyc1e',*-the"oscillations decay but the decajrisretarded"bythe high Q of the resonant -'circuit whiclr cemprises the inplated hereby.

is in quadrature with the voltage of the quench signal frequency that is impressed upon the plate 6 of the oscillation tube 1. V I

The voltage that is induced into the 'coll I'I drives the cathode I of the diode I3 positive during the time that the quench signal voltage on the plate 6 of the oscillation tube 1 is increasing. The plate I4 of the diode I3 is at ground with respect to the voltage of quench frequency,

so that as long as the cathode I5 of the'diode I3 is positive, no current fiows through the tube Due to the quadrature relation between the voltageof the quenchsignal frequency induced in the coil I1 and that impressed upon the plate 6 of the tube I when the quench signal on the plate 6 starts to decrease,-the voltage of the cathode I5 of the diode I3 passes through zero and continues as a negative value. As a result the diode I3 becomes conducting and acts to insert a load resistance across thatpart of the oscillating coil 2 between grid 5 and ground. This puts a high damping load on the oscillations of coil 2. In other words the Q of the signal frequency oscillating circuit composed of will and capacitor?) is reduced and the oscillations thereof are rapidly damped out. In additiondiode l3in the conducting state removes radio frequency excitation from the grid Band thus tends to'stop oscillation of tube 1. The flow of current thru diode I3 also to quench'the signal-frequency oscillations of the circuit associated with oscillator tube ,1 more rapidly-thanwould be accomplished otherwise. This rapid and effectual damping out of the oscillations of theoscillation' tube I enables a new oscillation cycle to'start more promptly andsubstantially in the absence of conflicting residual oscillations. This improved function also permits theme of a higher frequency of quench signal than could otherwise be normally used and materially improves the detection efficiency of the quenchedoscillator detector that is contem- The detector action of thquenched oscillator detector that is contemplated hereby is substa'n tially normal withthe exception of the improvements that areset forth hereinf The detected signal in the plate current of the oscillation tube I appears across the primary of the video transformer I I and accordingly across the output terminals of the secondary winding thereof. In the situation where a the antenna I receives pulsed radio frequency signals, the video transformer I I provides a suitablejoutp'ut transformer for the quenchedoscillator detector. 7

It is to be understood that the circuit and the components thereof th'at'havebeen disclosed and described'herein have' bensubmitted for the purposes of illustrating and describing an operative embodiment of y the present invention and that om ar le iQQ fi Q Q 1$ ,chen e a d S What I claim is:

1. In a superregenerative detector system having first and second oscillator tubes each having at least an anode, cathode, and grid electrode. and means applying the output of said second oscillator tube to said first oscillator tube for building up and then quenching the oscillations of said first oscillator tube in accordance with the positive and negative alternations respectively of the output of said second oscillator tube; apparatus for accelerating the quenching rate comprising a unilateral impedance coupled between said first tube grid and a point of fixed potential,

stitutions therein may be made, without departing means for phase shifting the output of said second tube and means for applying said phase shifted output of said second tube to said impedance to render said impedance non-conducting only during the entire portion of each cycle of the output of said second tube in which the slope of the amplitude change, has a given sign, and

conducting only during the entire portion of each cillations in quadrature with the oscillations procoupled between said first tube grid and a point of fixed potential. a

4. A superregenerative detector system having an acelerated quench period comprising a first and a second oscillator tube each having at least anode, cathode, and grid electrodes, means for applying oscillations from said first oscillator tube ,in series with the anode-cathode path of said second oscillator tube to render saidsecond tube alternately oscillating and non-oscillating in accordance with said first tube oscillation frequency, a resistor connected to said second tube grid, a

diode tube havingat least an anode and a cathode, said resistor connected in series ,withsaid diode anode, a condenser connected in parallel with an inductance, said parallel combination connecting said diode cathode to a pointof fixed potential, ,means for inducing oscillations from said first tube in said inductance to derive therefrom oscillationsin quadrature with the oscilla tions of said first tube appliedto theanode-cathode'of said second tube.

5. A superregenerative detector comprising a first oscillator including a frequency-determining circuit therefor,,an alternating source of quenching voltage, means applying said quenching voltage to said first oscillator for rendering said first oscillator alternately oscillating and quenched in accordance with the positive and negative alternations respectively of said quenchingvoltage, a damping circuit for, said frequency-determining means including a unilateral conducting device, means for phase shifting said quenching voltage 9 an m an app n a d ph se h ft d quenching 3 voltage to i said ,unilateral .conducting d vice f nirendering said; circuit. inoperative cinli.

during the entire portion of each cycle of the quenching voltage in which the slope of the amplitude change has a given sign and operative only during the portion of each cycle of said quenching voltage in which the slope of the amplitude change has the opposite sign.

6. A superregenerative detector according to claim 5, wherein said source of quenching voltage produces a sine wave voltage.

'7. A superregenerative detector according to claim 6,wherein said coupling means for phase shifting said quenching voltage 90 comprises inductive means to derive a voltage in quadrature with said quenching voltage.

8. A superregenerative detector according to claim 5, wherein said unidirectionally conducting device shunts at least a portion of said frequencydetermining means.

9. A superregenerative detector comprising an oscillator, said oscillator including an electron tube having at least a cathode, a grid, and an anode, a resonant circuit for regeneratively coupling the plate-cathode circuit of said electron tube to the grid-cathode circuit thereof, and means for applying a positive direct voltage to the plate of said tube; a source of sine wave voltage; means for superimposing said sine wave voltage on said positive direct voltage applied to the plate of said tube, whereby said oscillator is rendered oscillating during the positive excursions of said sine wave voltage and quenched during the negative excursions of said sine wave voltage; a unidirectionally conducting damping circuit shunting the grid-cathode circuit of said tube, said unidirectionally conducting damping circuit including a coil inductively coupled to said source of sine wave voltage for rendering said unidirectionally conducting device non-conducting during the entire portion of each cycle of said sine wave voltage in which the amplitude changes in a positive direction and conducting during theentire por tion of the cycle of said sine wave voltage in which the amplitude changes in a negative direction;

EVERARD M. WILLIAMS.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 2,230,108 Gerhard Jan. 28, 1941 2,351,193 Crosby June 13, 1944 2,410,768 'Worcester Nov. 4, 1946 2,412,? 10 Bradley Dec. 17, 1946 2,481,852 Loughlin Sept. 13, 1949 

